We continue our "follow the grapes" series on Vancouver Island, where a small cadre of producers are beginning to impact the British Columbia wine map as the region closes in on two decades of production. The Cowichan Valley lies 45 minutes north of the provincial capital Victoria and its 350,000 inhabitants, and less than three hours by ferry from downtown Vancouver. The sheltered east coast of Vancouver Island owes its existence to many large mountains that grab most of the moisture sweeping across Vancouver Island from the west, off the Pacific Ocean.
Volcanic in origin from millions of years ago, the Cowichan would have spent a significant amount of time underwater, leaving present-day soils with a strong connection to marine deposits and the holy grail of all soil amendments, limestone. It's a cool, mostly dry region that seldom freezes, creating another key factor a long frost-free season that gives winegrowers a more extensive selection of grapes.
We look in on Blue Grouse Estate Winery & Vineyards, where renowned Chilean soil specialist Pedro Parra has been working with owner Paul Brunner and winemaker Bailey Williamson to help reshape the vineyards and upgrade their pinot noir and sparkling wine programs. Parra says to a layman that the soils look like heavy clay, but it is schist-like basalt — a type of rock Parra describes as "high voltage" because of the energy it can give to the grapes growing above the ground and the wine they can produce. #BCHarvest
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